


The Magic Power of a Hug

by SeverusSnep



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27478168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeverusSnep/pseuds/SeverusSnep
Summary: Severus is having a horrible day, and wants just one thing to make him feel better
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 17
Kudos: 116





	The Magic Power of a Hug

Severus Snape stood with his back against the wall, taking breaths that shuddered with silent tears. He missed her, but that was not the reason for his current situation. She was the only happy thought in his mind and he clung to it. His day had been horrible since the minute he had woken up. At some ungodly hour in the morning, he was rudely awoken by the shouts and blasts of magic coming from a drunken brawl in the street below his flat. He had fallen back to sleep after laying awake for what felt like forever.

His nerves were fried by the time he _had_ to get up and his feet hit the disgustingly cold floor. He didn’t feel like eating, and he barely wanted to work. The apothecary below would run just fine if he didn’t brew that day. He always made sure everything was well stocked, but he was disturbed by the thought that potions couldn’t rouse something in him. He sat and stared out his window, shoulders hunched from the chill. He hadn’t showered the night before and felt gross. Nothing else could have gone wrong. Except that of course it did because Daniel had come up the stairs to Severus’ flat and knocked on the door. He explained hurriedly how someone bumped into a shelf and a couple potions had broken on the floor. This would have been just fine, Severus knew not to put potions near each other that would react badly if accidentally broken and combined. The urgency was that the elderly woman had dropped the potion that was in her hand, causing a horrible reaction and Daniel didn’t know what to do.

Severus rushed down into the shop and quickly disposed of the fizzing, acid-blue ( _and highly fatal_ ) potion mixture splattered all over the floor. Thankfully, it wouldn’t cause any lasting damage, just an odd dark splotch on the floor. He wasn’t bothered. The elderly woman left with _two_ of the potions she had needed, at no cost. He had returned back upstairs to his flat and paced. There was nothing else to do. He went and sat in one room, only to come back and sit in another. The process repeated, and he was restless. He still had four days before she would come to visit him. He stood with his back against the wall, feeling revolted and defeated by the hot tears that ran down his cheeks.

Severus’ shoulders shook with silent sobs. Sobs he refused to let out. There was a scream that was dying to escape his throat, it had been there since he was sixteen. It festered inside of him, and still brewed with a hatred that was yet to see the light of day. The morning had been horrible and it had only begun, disaster after disaster, and _she_ was four days away. The thought of her made him ache. It teased at the longing that resided in his bones. Contact, human touch, intimacy. He was unfamiliar with the subject, yet craved to be educated. The brush of her hand against his with the passing of a tea cup. Her fingers that lingered on his arm after a witty comment was made. It was always a fleeting moment of bright warmth. To be acknowledged physically, but with kindness instead of violence. That was the thought that wrung tears from his eyes. The realization that he just wanted to he hugged was crushing, and it nearly made him drop to his knees.

Another knock on the door. He wiped his face with his sleeve and begged his eyes not to be red. He could just picture Daniel standing there, relaying that sadly the store was in flames and about to burn down. Severus opened the door to find the face of the person he wanted to see most: Hermione Granger.

“Hi Severus!” she greeted, but quickly paused and tilted her head to the side, “everything okay?” she asked. _Shit_.

“Of course, come on in,” his voice strained and he gestured for her to enter. She stepped across his doorway, her gaze stayed on him and he felt heat gather in his face. He couldn’t have been happier to see her, but the timing was horrible. _Or was it? Wasn’t this what you wanted?_ A gentle hand reached out to cup his cheek and he winced and tried to step back. She was insistent, and stepped forward to meet him. Her thumb wiped away what his sleeve had forgotten.

“Severus,” her voice became softer, “please.” Her hand came away from his face, and the cold air swept in and cooled away the precious warmth. Her arms were open to him, and she made no indication that she would move toward him. She was _inviting him?_ He wondered if she’d somehow read his mind all the way from her home.

Severus wasted no time in taking the invitation, and nearly collapsed in her arms. Despite being bigger and taller than her (as well as practically enveloping her entirely in his arms), he had never felt so safe and secure, like a child swaddled in a blanket. Tears threatened his eyes once again and he didn’t know how she knew, but she did. She rubbed his back and told him it was okay. He couldn’t stop the deluge that came.

Somehow, Hermione had maneuvered them to the sofa where she held him in her arms and covered them both in a blanket. It was truly freezing in his flat. He held onto her and breathed her in. Her warmth soothed what had felt ripped and broken in him. Her kindness seemed to mend all the blows he’d suffered from the day. He was pulled from everything by the kisses she had started to place on the top of his head. He was reminded that he hadn’t showered the previous night and pulled away. Her eyes widened and she held onto him.

“Whoah, Severus, it’s okay. Come back,” her hands smoothed over his shoulders and ran up into his hair. He winced again, but she nodded, telling him once again that it was alright. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. He let go of a breath that he didn’t know had been stuck in his chest. His brows furrowed together and a sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Thank you,” he mumbled under his breath.

Hermione’s fingers softly lifted Severus’ head up. She smiled empathetically and brought her hand up to caress his face once more. He watched as if in slow motion while she leaned in slowly and tenderly pressed a kiss to his lips. He was overwhelmed by a fluttering feeling in his chest, but was determined to return the kiss. They pulled apart briefly,

“I missed you,” he whispered.

“You saw me yesterday, “ she chuckled but paused and looked more serious, “I missed you too.”

She kissed him again, sending another jolt of flutters throughout him, but stopped to ask,

“Can I stay with you?”

“I was hoping you would."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it! :)


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